Oatmeal-Yogurt Pancakes with Blackberry Crush (Sarah Copeland)

Here's the recipe for those pancakes I made in Brown County:

Blackberry Crush Ingredients:

• 2 cups/480 ml fresh blackberries
• 1/4 cup/50 g raw or turbinado sugar
• 1/4 cup/60 ml pure maple syrup, plus more if needed

Pancakes Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups/190 g all-purpose/plain flour
• 2/3 cup/55 g old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 Tbs granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 heaping tsp backing soda/bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt or iodized salt
• 1 cup/240 ml Greek yogurt, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup/240 ml whole milk
• 4 Tbs/55 g unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
• 2 large eggs

Blackberry Crush Recipe:

Combine the blackberries and sugar in a medium bowl and mash slightly with a fork. Strain the juice into a small pot and reserve the berries. Heat the juice over medium heat and simmer until it is thick, syrupy, and easily coats the back of the spoon, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the maple syrup. Cool slightly, and pour over the berries. Adjust the sweetness with additional maple syrup if needed. Set the syrup aside.

Pancake Recipe: 

Whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, the melted butter, and eggs. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and whisk in the wet ingredients until well incorporated. The batter should be thick with little bubbles on the surface.

Heat a cast-iron or nonstick griddle or heavy frying pan over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles when splashed on the pan. Brush the griddle lightly with melted butter. Drop about 1/3 cup/75 ml of batter per pancake onto the hot griddle, leaving about 1 in or so between pancakes. When bubbles form around the edges of the batter, gently lift and flip the pancakes with a flexible spatula. Cook on the other side until the pancakes are golden brown around the edges, about 2 minutes. Dont' worry if the first one doesn't come out perfect - just adjust your heat as needed and nibble on the practice pancake while you stack up a plate of beauties. Repeat, adding more butter to the pan as needed until all the pancakes are cooked.

To serve, stack the pancakes as high as you dare, and garnish with butter or additional Greek yogurt and a generous ladle of Blackberry Crush. Serve hot and fresh.

Broccoli Slaw

Here's the recipe for the broccoli slaw I brought to the family BBQ!

• 1 bag of broccoli slaw
• 2 bags of ramen noodles
• 2 chopped green onions
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup almonds, slivered

Dressing:

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/2 c. vinegar

Break up the ramen noodles, and then combine the rest of the slaw mix. Mix up the dressing and pour over the slaw mix...Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Here's the recipe to the buffalo chicken dip I brought to the family BBQ!

2 8 ounce containers of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 c. Frank's hot sauce
1 c. ranch dressing
1 rotisserie chicken or 2 chicken breasts
1 packet of monterrey cheese

If using the rotisserie chicken, take off the skin and shred. If using chicken breasts, cook and then shred. For the hot sauce, you can vary the amount depending on how spicy you or your company likes it :). Combine all of the ingredients and half of the cheese in a large bowl. Transfer the dip to an oven safe dish, and then top with the second half of the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or microwave for around 10 minutes.

Dip tortilla chips, pita chips, carrot or celery sticks and enjoy!

Turkey burgers

This is a turkey burger recipe I got from Kristin that David and I really like!

Turkey Patties

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce

Combine it all in a bowl and then divide up into single patties. Place it on the grill and enjoy! 

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans

This is a yummy vegetarian dish! I substituted the chard with kale (and believe me - that 6 cups of greens really wilts to look like a small amount, so don't skimp), and if you want to make it a meat dish (which your men may prefer), consider adding an Italian sausage.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon EVOO, divided
• 1 16-oz package shelf-stable gnocchi
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (I used a red onion and it worked fine)
• 4 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 cups chopped chard leaves or spinach
• 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
• 1 15-oz can white beans, rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and water. Cover and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chard (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes.

Makes 6 servings (or 4 large servings)

Cranberry Zucchini Carrot Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup finely grated carrot (about 2 medium)

3/4 cup finely grated zuchinni (about 1 medium)

1 cup whole fresh or frozen cranberries

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups of whole wheat flour

Directions:

1. Place sugar, canolia oil, eggs and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk until well blended. Add in carrot, zucchini, cranberries and whisk to blend.  Next add in salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda and whisk to blend. Lastly, add flour and fold until blended (do not over mix).

1. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees F until tops are golden brown and tester inserted in the center is comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Use an offset spatula to remove muffins from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.  

Preparation: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper or spray and cover wells with non-stick baking spray.